Clutch mechanism



Dec. 19, 1944. A. F. BRADLEY 2,365,244

CLUTCH MECHANISM Original Filed May 11, 1940 ALBERT 6324515), fiscenu-o.

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Patented Dec. 19, 1944 UNITED STATES PAT OFFICE CLUTCH MECHANISM This application is a division of the copendingi. J.

Albert F. Bradley application entitled: Multiwire "product making machine," Serial No. .334,-

515, filed May 11, 1940.

This invention relates to a clutch mechanism especially adapted for use on wire drawing drums:

iof'wire productmaking machines.

Specifically the inventionrelates to throw out devices or clutches for wire drawingdrumsadapted to selectively interrupt the feeding of one or "2 Claims. (cl.re s-#11,)"'v

As shown .on the drawing:

As shown in :Figures'land 2; :a housing in tatablysupportsinbearings .Hla a shaft I I which projects em: both sides of the housing and carries wire pulling drums mat its iends.

A drive sha'ft laenters. the lower. portion of the-housing and has :agear I14 securedthereon engaging a 'la'rger gear 5. The larger gear I5 drives a shaft IzG and-another gear II on :the

more wires through a wire fabricating machine? In wire product making :machines' havingwire drawing attachments it is desirableto include clutch mechanisms which will permit selective engagement and disengagement of the wire pul1- 'ing drums without affecting the other parts or the machine. This invention now provides tog- .gle-operated disengaging clutches for the wire pulling drums of wire-fabricatingmachines. The clutches of this invention can be manually op:

:tively controlled to stop or start the passage of any one of the wires through the machine.

It is, then, an objectof this invention to include, in a wire fabricating machine-having a wire drawing end capable of handling a 'p1u-- rality of wires, disengaging clutches adapted to interrupt; the operation on any desired wire.

A further object of the invention is to provide a toggle-operated disengaging clutch adapted for controlling a wirepulling drum in a wire fabricating machine.

A further object is to provide a clutch mechanism for operatively connecting driving and driven members through the action of a toggle controlled slidable member.

Other and further objects of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the .following detailed description of the annexed sheet of drawings which, by way of preferred example, illustrates one embodiment of the invention.

On the drawing:

Figure 1 is a transverse vertical cross-sectional view, with partsv in elevation, of a wire-drawing drum assembly equipped with toggle-operated clutches of this invention.

- Figure'2 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken along the line IIII of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged end elevational view taken along the line III-III of Figure 1 with parts broken away in vertical cross section.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary vertical cross-sectional view taken along the line IV-IV of Figure 3,

iii

top thereof permitting access thehousing.

. -20. erated so that, for example, a machine capable .bf handling a plurality of wires can be selecsame-shaft meshes with and. drivesa large gear I8 for driving the shaft :I.I.' The housing 10 thus 'providesa casing for the gears I4, 15, I1, and wand-thesegears transmit power from the drive-shaft 13 to the drum-supporting shaft I I. l

"The housing has aremovable cover IIlb at the to the interior of As shown in Figure 1 each drum I2 includes a pluralityof'wiredrawing-palleys 1 2a, :IL2b and 120 o! progressively increasing diameter. In a miilti-wire productmaking machine such as is des'cribedand claimed iii-the parent application Serial:=334,51'5 the wire from a first drawing die can be wrapped around-the. smallest or'innermost'pulley Ila and passed irom this pulley back to the next smaller drawing die. The :double drawn wire is then wrapped for a plurality of turns around the pulley I2b, passes back through a third drawing die and the triply drawn wire is then wrapped for a plurality of turns around the largest pulley I2c. The pulleys I2a, I21) and are of progressively increasing diameter so as to compensate for the elongation of the wire caused by the successive drawing dies each of which reduce the initial rod to a lesser diameter and thereupon lengthen the resulting wire.

As shown in Figure 1 the drums I2 are hollow and each-drum has disposed therein a sleeve such as 20 which is loosely mounted on the shaft I I. The sleeves such asr20 have outturned flanges such as 20a bolted by; means of bolts such as 2| to the innermost pulley I2a. The drums I2 are .thus freely mounted on the ends of the shaft II and can rotate relative thereto.

Disks such as 22 are keyed to the outermost ends of the shaft II and are mounted within the larger pulleys I2c of the driving drums I2. These (IfiSkS 22 rotate with and are driven by the shaft Clutches, best shown in Figures 3 and 4, are provided between the disks 22 and the large pulleys I2c of the drawing drums I2 to drive and stop the drums.

As best shown in Figures 3 and 4, the disk 22 has a groove 22a in the outer face thereof. This a bi.

groove is spaced from the axis of the disk and communicates with the circumference of the disk at its ends. A pin 23 is secured in the disk and extends across the groove near one end thereof to pivotally carry a toggle arm 24 adapted to be seated in the groove and moved out of the groove as shown in dotted lines in Figure 4. The top end of the arm 24 is pinned by means of a pin 25 to a second arm 26 also seatable in the groove 22a. A pin 21 extends through the upper end of the arm 26 and pivotally supports a slide 28 mounted in the groove 22a. .Aface plate 29 is secured to the disk 22 to hold the slide 28 in the groove 22a. The free end of the slide 28 projects beyond the circumference, (if the disk 22 when the toggle arms 24 and 26 arealigned and seated in the groove as shown in Figure 3. The arm 26 has a recess 23a in the outer face thereof as shown in Figure 3 and a pull ring 30 is mounted in the recess. The pull ringis adapted .to be manually engaged for pulling the toggle arms 24 and 26 out of the groove as shownin dotted line positions in Figure 4 to retract the, slide 28 within the confines of the disk 22.

A side wall of the slide preferably has a recess therein to receive a spring pressed detent or ball 31 as shown in Figure 3. For this purpose the disk can be drilledcto provide a well 32 receiving drum I2 independently of the drive shaft l1 which.drives both drums.

What is claimed is:

1. A clutch mechanism for operatively connecting a driving member and a driven member comprising a disk mounted on the driving member for rotation therewith, a slot in the outer 3 face of said disk spaced from a transverse axis the detent or ball 3| and a spring 33 urging the thereof, a member slidable in said slot and having its end surface forming a flat face, a wedge block on the driven member having a flat end face thereon for receiving thereagainst the face onsaid slidable member, the included angle between said faces and the longitudinal axis of said slidable member being such as to provide Wedg- ;ing engagement between said faces when the disc is rotated in a driving direction, and a toggle device for sliding said member into and out of engagement with said wedge block for connecting and disconnecting the driving and driven members.

. 2. A clutch mechanism for operatively connecting a driving member and a driven member comprising adisk mounted on the driving member for rotation therewith, a slot in the outer face of said disk spaced froma transverse-axis thereof, a member slidable in said slot and having its end surface forming a fiat face, a wedge block on the driven member having a flat end face thereon for receiving thereagainst the flat face on said slidable member, the included angle between said faces and the longitudinalaxis of said slidable member being suchas to provide wedging engagement between said faces when ed in grooves 22a. Thus rotative movement of clutches selectively-control the operation of the said wedging 

